July 2020

CABR Monthly News & Updates

Welcome to the fifth edition of our monthly newsletter!

Happy 4th of July!

On any given fourth of July, many of you may have been getting ready to volunteer at theannual CNMF event held at the park. Chalk at the ready, you would be marking off spotsfor our patriotic patrons to safely view the fireworks from. Then, when the show began,you would 'oooo' and 'ahhh' in sync with the rest of the crowd, as the Big Bay Boomshowcased its technicolor pyrotechnics in celebration of our nation's independence. Someof you were even here in 2012 when the Big Bay Boom became known as the Big BayBust and all the synchronized fireworks shows along the bay blew up at once and fizzledout in less than a minute. San Diego may have failed that night, but we failedspectacularly!

It's memories like these, and holidays that are meant to be spent in the company of friendsand family, that make being apart from each other hurt more than usual. However, I amconfident that the greater good will prevail; with social distancing, mask wearing, andproper hygiene, we will make it to the other side of this pandemic stronger and moreresilient than ever. This Fourth of July may look starkly different from what John Adamsimagined in 1777. The pomp and circumstance that he called for after signing thedeclaration of independence will be replaced with many families celebrating quietly fromhome. To that I say: Don't get your white wig in a tangle just yet, John Adams, for whenwe emerge on the other side of this pandemic, we will have even more to celebrate next4th of July!

Speaking of Founding Fathers....

Have you heard of " the ten dollar founding father without a father"? You know.... the guy"who got a lot farther by working a lot harder". What's his name again....? Oh right,ALEXANDER HAMILTON!

If you haven't heard yet, Hamilton: An American Musical is now available to stream! Thisepic tale of one of our most influential founding fathers highlights history through song anddance. It's a beautiful masterpiece that I plan on watching every day for the rest of my life(I'm a casual fan). Aside from being the greatest musical of our time, it tells a story that isalso highlighted by many of our National Park units. The National Park Foundationrecently put out an article that takes you through all the NPS sites highlighted in Act 1 ofHamilton.

Welcome Wagon

Please join us in welcoming two seasonals to the interpretive division! Erin and Bryant willbe with us until the end of September, helping us create programming and increaseranger presence in the park.

Erin Gelfat

Greetings! My name is Erin Gelfat and I am thrilled to be at Cabrillo! I have spent my timewith the National Park Service working at a variety of sites, including Grand Canyon,Everglades, and the Santa Monica Mountains, but it feels so good to be back in my homestate of California after 3 years of traveling around. My background is in plant ecology, butI fell in love with interpretation and love telling stories to visitors. I love spending timeoutdoors with my camera, but I also have a wide variety of hobbies, such as cooking,cross-stitching, listening/playing bluegrass music, and following competitive gymnastics. Ifyou see me walking around the park, I'm always happy to chat--just look for some wildcurly hair and you'll find me!

Bryant Culbreth

Hello everyone! My name is Bryant Culbreth and I am extremely excited to be working atCabrillo NM, as an interpretive park ranger, this summer. My hometown is Plymouth, NorthCarolina which is located 2 hours east of Raleigh, NC, 1 ½ hours south of Norfolk, VA and1 hour west of the Outer Banks. I am an alumnus of UNC-Wilmington where I studiedParks & Recreation. My interpretation career started as a U.S. Fish & Wildlife intern atAlligator River, Pea Island, Mattamuskeet and Swan Quarter National Wildlife Refuges, allin coastal NC. My past National Park Service stops include Yellowstone NP, Lyndon B.Johnson NHP and Kenai Fjords NP. Overall, San Diego has been good to me so far… Ilove the weather as well as the ceviche and fish tacos. Everyone at Cabrillo has been verywelcoming and I appreciate that. I have met some of the volunteers and look forward tomeeting the ones I haven’t. You guys rock! I’m looking forward to a great summer here!

Covid-19 Update

As we head into the 4th of July weekend, I wanted to provide a brief park statusupdate for COVID-19 conditions.

1) For the 4th of July weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) - the topside parking lotswill be maintained to 50% capacity. When that capacity has been approximatelyreached, park entry will be closed, and the incoming public will be informed andasked to return later (e.g., 30 minutes). This is the same practice that wasimplemented when the park first re-opened on May 19 (when the County requiredparking lots near parks to restrict parking to 50% capacity).

All three topside bays will remain open from this point forward to allow peopleto spread out to park if desired, and to allow more people to park closer tothe visitor center area if desired.

Likewise the limited parking capacity (50%) for the tidepool area will continue inorder to manage crowding and for resource protection, through closure of thetidepool gate.

It is anticipated that both of the gates will be closed incrementally and periodically,

with re-opening happening as parking spaces clear and/or groups spread out.

2) We will resume operations of full access for topside parking on Monday, July 6. Iflocal conditions change for County guidance relative to parking at parks, this maychange. Tidepool parking will continue to be restricted until further notice.

3) As indicated below, on Wednesday, the County health officer relayed that basedon case loads, the County of San Diego is likely to join 19 other counties inCalifornia as one of those on the Watch List, and if cases do not decline (there is notan indication that that will occur), then the County is likely to face stricterrequirements as per State guidelines starting on Monday 7/6, similar to those beingimplemented in the 19 other Counties now (focused on limiting indoor activities withpeople other than your household).

Have a great holiday weekend everyone.....take time to celebrate and appreciatethis country that we live in - and do so safely with some different approachesneeded this year than has occurred in our past celebrations. This country is, still, inmy humble opinion, the best country in the world of which to be a citizen. Thecurrent protests, debate, and discussions are demonstrated dedications to make iteven better......

Andrea ComptonSuperintendent

Resource Management & Science

We had a successful joint TPERP and Weed Warrior coastal clean-up (166 lbstrash, 6 bags of plants were removed)

Tidepool plot repairs are ongoing (multiple days)

We have a seasonal archeological technician starting 8/3

Herp surveys are not open to volunteers yet due to social distancing limitations atthe pitfall arrays arrays

Any VIP's that want to become weed warriors can be reonboarded. Please contactLonie at lonie_brown@partner.nps.gov. When you reach out to her, Lonie will emailyou with the initial documents and information to get started. After you recieve anemail from Lonie, you will be able to sign up on Volgistics. There will be more hoursfor WW this summer than just the Tues and alternating Fri and Sat mornings.Checking on Volgistics is the best way to see when sessions are open.

Linh Anh Cat, Ph.D. (she/her)Chief of Resources Management & Science

Interpretation & Education Updates

We are offering the Junior Ranger program once again at a Visitor Contact table inthe breezeway outside of the Visitor Center. We have a ranger-on-duty at that tableevery day from 11 am to 1 pm.

Cabrillo National Monument is in the final stages of creating a new Junior Rangeractivity book! Our new activity booklet aims to be open ended, getting youth (andthe young at heart!) to think about the resources around them and share what theyhave learned with friends and family. From Thursday, July 2 - Tuesday, July 14, weneed your help (and the help of any of your family members who are interested) totest out the new book and submit feedback. We welcome all feedback! A parkranger will be available from 11am - 3pm each day in the breezeway to hand out thenew draft booklets and a comment form. Families who are invited to test the bookletcan get a fee waiver by emailing Julieanne. Please contact Julieanne, the leadranger on the project, at julieanne_fontana@nps.gov with questions, to requestdigital version of the booklet, and for fee waivers.

At this time we are not bringing on additional volunteer roles, as we are followingguidance for COVID19. The roles available now include: Weed Warriors, Roving,TPERP for existing TPERP volunteers, Trash Collection, Lighthouse KitchenGarden, Maintenance, & Greenhouse. These roles were all approved by theManagement Team after discussing a risk management matrix, and these roles areall low risk due to the ability to social distance and stay outdoors. Other roles thathave a risk for a higher level of visitor contact, like Living History (where people willtry to get close and take photos with you) and Visitor Contact table will not bebrought back until a later stage of our phased re-opening of the park.

Naturalization Ceremonies: In the month of June, we hosted 6 days of drive-thruNaturalization Ceremonies in Partnership with USCIS. In total 690 new citizens tooktheir Oath of Allegiance. Our uniformed staff greeted the citizens and their familiesat the entrance of the parking lot, giving each new citizen a map of the park and amap of all NPS units. It was a lot of fun to share in their joy, and a wonderfulpartnership with USCIS.

Community Volunteer Ambassador Updates

Park Beautification (i.e. Trash Collection) is now added to the list of available at-parkvolunteer opportunities on Volgistics. To get started, simply sign up! If you’re unable toaccess the calendar on Volgistics, email us at cabr_volunteers@nps.gov and we will addthe assignment to your profile.

Continuing Education Events:

"The Peregrine Falcon, Fastest Animal in the World!”: Zoom event hosted by VIPDon Endicott will be offered once again, this time with the CHIS/SAMO VIPcontinued education speaker series. CVA Setareh will send out the Zoom invitationleading up to the event (July 12th @ time TBD).

“Tadaima! A Community Virtual Pilgrimage”: an online community-driven eventspearheaded by the NPS and Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages. So, whatis a virtual pilgrimage, you ask? Due to the pandemic, each of the annualpilgrimages to wartime Japanese American incarceration camps have beencanceled. Over the course of nine (that’s right—nine!) weeks, this online event willcontinue the practice of memorializing the history of Japanese Americanincarceration during WWII as well as celebrating the “history, diversity, strength, andvibrancy of the Nikkei community.” Instead of a physical pilgrimage, this event willblend together online exhibits, workshops, performances, lectures, film screenings,and much more.

Bee Update

The bees in the hive off Bayside Trail became more aggressive in the last few weeks. Anapiarist confirmed they are Africanized bees and attempted to exterminate them. We aremonitoring the hive to ensure they are gone. If they return, the trail will be closed from just

past the generator station.

A hive of non aggressive bees was removed and relocated offsite. There are at least twoother hives that remain in the park, so please remember the following if you are comingout to volunteer anytime soon:

Listen for buzzing and stay away from hives and swarms.

Don’t swat at bees; they may become agitated and sting you.

Bees can be attracted to human sweat.

If you are stung:

Seek shelter in a closed vehicle or leave the area.

Remove the stinger by scraping it out with a fingernail, knife, or credit card; do notpull it out with your fingertips.

Apply ice to relieve pain and swelling.

Seek medical attention if breathing is difficult or you are highly allergic to bee stings.

Heading to the Park to Volunteer Soon?

Before each shift, you must complete a COVID-19 Self Screening with the following 3steps and email cabr_volunteers@nps.gov with the results.

1. Have I had any recent known potential exposure (household contact or close contactwithin 6 feet) to anyone with COVID-19 infection? If your answer is yes, you should stayhome until 14 days after the last exposure, maintain social distance (at least 6 feet) fromothers at all times, and self-monitor for symptoms* including taking your temperature twicedaily.

2. Have I had COVID-like symptoms* or fever (temperature of 100.4˚F or higher) within thelast 72 hours including today? [Note: Check for fever before entering the park.] If youanswer, “yes”, do not report to the park. Contact your Volunteer Coordinator to cancel yourshift. Utilize the CDC Self-Checker and follow up with your healthcare provider as needed.

3. Did I develop COVID-like symptoms* or fever during the day while working? If youdevelop fever or other symptoms during the workday, go home immediately. Contact yourVolunteer Coordinator, isolate yourself, utilize the CDC Self-Checker, and follow up withyour healthcare provider as needed.

* Symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing or atleast two of the following: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain,headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell.

VIP Spotlight

Would you like to be featured for a VIP spotlight? For the past couple of months, we haveinterviewed VIPs to learn more about them and capture their service stories. If you’repassionate about what you do for the park and would like to participate in sharing yourexperiences, email us at cabr_volunteers@nps.gov.

Check out VIP-Voice every Monday for a new weekly spotlight!

Don't Forget to Log Your Hours!